Reprinted from my editorial in the Simple-Talk Newsletter.
It’s hard to believe, but it was five years ago that Red Gate Software started sponsoring the Exceptional DBA of the Year Awards. The award, which was inspired by my book: How to Become an Exceptional DBA, has uncovered a number of DBAs who might otherwise not have ever been publically recognized for their skills as master DBAs.
When I was a novice DBA, I spent little time documenting my SQL Servers. But as I became more experienced, I realized the importance of having complete, up-to-date documentation for all of the SQL Servers I manage.
Some of the benefits of documentation include: 1) It is easier and quicker to find information when needed, especially if it is located in a central location; 2) Not having to reinvent the wheel every time I need to resolve a problem that I had solved in the past, but now have forgotten; 3) Being kept aware of what other DBAs are doing to the instance; 4) Helping to establish “standards” that can be used throughout the organization; 5) Additional information to help when troubleshooting problems; 6) The ability to duplicate an existing server, such as when you need to move an instance from one box to another; 7) For disaster recovery when you need to rebuild a new box to replace one that has died and can’t be rebuilt; among many other reasons.
Brad M McGehee 